Woodland burglary suspect still waiting on trial

A trial date remains to be set for a Woodland man facing burglary charges after he initially evaded custody for weeks.

Mario Lopez, 25, is charged with first- and second-degree burglary, possession of a controlled substance, and grand theft of a firearm, as well as child endangerment, according to court documents. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Discussing a possible trial date, Deputy Public Defender Carolyn Palumbo predicted "given the sheer volume of witnesses" the trial would take about two weeks. She suggested consolidating all three cases against Lopez into a single trial, noting it would be best since "there are so many witnesses involved in this case."

Yolo County Superior Court Judge David Reed agreed, but was unable to find a date that worked for all parties. Due to the predicted length of the trial, Reed said he would speak with Judge Stephen Mock, who handles long-cause cases.

"I just want to make sure that we get it on calendar so we're not looking at the beginning of next year," Palumbo said. "I would like to do this as soon as possible."

Reed scheduled another trial setting conference at 8:30 a.m. on July 16 in Department 6.

During a preliminary hearing in April, police officers described "ransacked" homes and vehicles Lopez stole from.

The burglaries started in May 2013 when Lopez allegedly broke into a home on the 800 block of Donner Way in Woodland.

According to police testimony, Lopez entered the home by breaking a window, where he then took several items including a Sony digital camera and a violin.

Several months later, on Jan. 3, officers responded to the Donner Way residence again, where the homeowner reported yet another theft. This time, Lopez allegedly broke into the home through the garage door, stealing a bicycle.

Lopez evaded custody for weeks before a stop sign put an end to his crimes.

He was brought into custody by Yolo County Sheriff's deputies after a car in which he was a passenger ran a stop sign in rural Madison. Following his initial arrest in January, Lopez was at large for a few weeks, having fled the city after being released on bail. While police searched for him, Lopez tried to turn himself into the Yolo County Jail, but left after waiting to be booked. After 14 minutes, he left the jail and remained wanted until the Madison incident.